~by: Elvin Ong~
This article is written as a direct response to Mr David Mason’s letter “Singapore’s Success: An Observer’s Concerns”[1] which was published in the Business Times on 25 October 2011, and re-published in the Review section of The Straits Times a day later, and also re-published as a note by the Young PAP’s facebook page.
Summoning the full force of the willpower within the greatest depths of my soul to avoid ad hominem attacks against Mr David Mason and the good folks at SPH and Young PAP who re-published his letter, I wish to expose and stridently argue against a most dangerous idea that was throughout the letter and which both SPH and Young PAP appear to endorse.
With the overwhelmingly simplistic rhetorical claims such as – “Singapore exists only because of economics”, or “the nation requires stability. Without it you are lost”, or “do not throw away what your forefathers fought so hard to establish”, or “The government was tough and restrictive, but for a good reason – to establish and prosper as a nation”, or “the lack of knowledge and sensitivity of the younger generation of Singaporeans” and finally, “Its younger management have been born since then and display two general problems.
The first is that ‘it has always been like this, so it will continue’ – an awful sense of birthright and complacency. The second is a lack of understanding of how the country was born in the first place” – the most dangerous idea that has been suggested is that young Singaporeans should quietly fade into the background soaked in old PAP ideology, and allow “the elders” or “the enlightened” to retake the lead to make “wise” decisions. And we know what this old PAP ideology is: the world is scary, other countries are competitive, we need to stay united to compete or else Singapore will go down. (Cue *roll eyes*)
Before I move on to argue against this most dangerous idea, let us consider the plausibility that Mr Mason might be correct in this description that “younger generations of Singaporeans” (like me and probably most of you reading this) “lack knowledge and sensitivity”, that we are complacent and lack knowledge of our history. Even if one were to accept that such a description might have a modicum of truth in it, I would suggest that our attention should be directed instead to the good civil servants at the Ministry of Education. After all, they were the ones, through their education policies, who brought up such young Singaporeans with an “awful sense of birthright and complacency.” The Ministry of Education better watch out!
But to return to my key argument – why do I say that this most dangerous idea is most dangerous? There are two reasons. First, as Mr Chen Show Mao so eloquently put it in his Parliamentary speech last week, what is an orchestra that can only play a single tune, or to have more tap water in a glass full of tap water? To have only one ideology, one perspective, one vision of Singapore was and what Singapore should be, is the fundamental cause of PAP’s dismal record in their various flawed public policies in immigration, public housing, transport, and other sectors for the past 10 years. Singularity, in the world of organic life, is the road to stagnation and extinction, not prosperity. Has no one ever heard of the utter folly of putting all your eggs in one basket?
Second, this most dangerous idea has the potential to set back the political gains made by the Singaporean electorate over the two elections in the past few months. Having finally awoken to the idea that political diversity is a force for good, rather than a source of trouble, the letter suggests that we should return to the good old days where young Singaporeans mindlessly drank from the PAP’s fountain of rhetoric. If we do so, then we would truly be regressing, in all senses of the word, rather than “prosper”, as the letter so suggests.
Perhaps it is an appropriate time to remind the good editors at SPH and the good folks at the Young PAP, that the stance of the PAP government has always been that foreigners should not be allowed to “meddle” in Singapore’s internal politics. I think it is a good stance. We surely welcome them to do business, but our internal politics is reserved for Singaporeans only, thank you very much. I’m sure it is just a communication breakdown between the PAP government and the good editors and good folks that allowed Mr Mason’s letter to be published. After all, the PAP government has a knack for admitting their weaknesses in communicating their own policies over the past few years. I’m sure this is just another policy communication breakdown that was overlooked, amongst the many others that were.
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[1] https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150350451128964
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The writer is undertaking the MPhil in Politics (Comparative Government) programme at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford.
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@lim
Beyond what I just said above of riotous dangers of too many foreigners here undermining our stability, what would happen if the PRs also flee this country after over 1 million roughnecks of unemployed foreign workers turned violent on the streets and HDB estates?
The PRs might be manning a lot of key positions which formerly held down or managed by local PMETs. With vaccumn in key institutions like hospitals, transports, logistics, wouldn’t our stability completely disintegrated when PRs all fled for their personal safety even if they don’t join the violent rage on the street?
Don’t count on “stability” and national security when you depends so heavily on undependable foreigners, PRs or otherwise. Look at what happen to Dubai ghosts town now that foreigners left. Look at economic – not just political or from street safety perspectives- in Libya now that foreigners left in a hurry of its NOT properly shut-down oilfields.
DM is blind to reality, talking nonsense of rhetorical scream of contrived opinion and presenting these as facts of so-called “stability” preservation.
@doppelganger and fellow Singaporeans :
Its’ my pleasure to be in TOC and seeing righteous, upright and loyal Citiznes of Singapore, penning down their thoughts and opinions for the benefit of our Nation. It is patriotic to voice out, even if it’s considered as noises to certain factions. There’s no absolute right or wrong but a matter of consensus. That is real democracy which our Nation desperately needs. Who cares what Mason thinks and he’s just another outsider looking at Singapore with myopic and coloured lenses.
It’s heartening to see so many loyal Citizens of Singapore speaking their minds like yourself or people like “Oxygen”, willing to speak out truthfully as well as whole heartedly as SINGAPOREANS. The stability and progress of our Nation depends on every single Citizen and we cannot be silenced by fear or be suppressed to abide. Otherwise, we may become another Egypt or some other countries whereby failed systems or policies will face total blow out with outrageuos protests and violent struggles. This, we have to avoid and to do so, we must stay united, even if with different views or opinions, to push for greater freedom of democracy for a multi-party political system and governance. After all, we’re the true blue local Singaporeans who are uniquely multi-racial, language and religions, with that touch of Singlish which cannot be imitated or acted out.
The ruling party must start to listen and not drown us out with contraversial bureaucracies, excessive controls on media, draconian laws like ISA or fill the gaps of our population with greed filled foreigners who are using our country as their stepping stone. An increased population especially with PRs and new Citizens does not equate to increasing our Nation’s actual population or fertility rates. If more foreign female immigrants are accepted in as PRs to do so, then might as well flood Geylang with them, ban contraceptives and increase social welfare to support their new offsprings to become new Citizens instead.
Rules of Law are made by mankind and it is to protect the legitimate rights of the local community and not for the benefit of foreign migrants. Like our forefathers, they were immigrants but had built their lives upon this land and made themselves worthy to have that identity with sense of belonging, to stay rooted and defend this land where we now belong. Therefore, these immigrants must also enthrust themselves into this similar route. If not, they are not even fit to be our PR as they are with dubious intentions.
In fact, our Government should not accord PRs with equivalent rights like us Citizens. Furthermore, giving new Citizens equal status quo as locally borned Citizens, is like awarding them for no good reason and robbing locally borned Citizens of their opportunities that has been created or built by our forefathers. There should be control with number of years residing in our land before being accorded similar rights. Look at the HDB soaring prices will tell you who had pushed that button and our Government succumbing to letting this facade takeover without control and didn’t look at the blind spot.
In a few short years, may be before the next GE, many will not have a roof over their heads. A visit to the Subordinate Night Court will reveal the scenario of poor Citizens being sued by Town Councils for unpaid conservancy charges or taken to Court by certain governmental departments for failure to make payments for residential incidences of which were unheard of 20 years ago.
Is this the price for our country’s economic progress and supremecy of elitist at work? Or is it the fruits of our complacency towards letting our Government to rule without consensus to privatisation of almost everything on our land?
Next thing is, what is the point of having a 5 million population when if needed to defend this country, less than half is willing to stay behind and fight. Quantity does not mean quality. Why can’t this simple logic be understood or was it overlooked with monetary gains? The sense of belonging and identity are already being diluted. What is most important now is to improve the quality of life of Citizens so that the happiness is re-stored, cheap and affordable housing is re-instated to instil further confidence, and abdicate the supremecy of elitist propaganda so as to really accord Justice and Eqaulity, for all SINGAPOREANS.
@ Tuning In… Emeritus
“It’s heartening to see so many loyal Citizens of Singapore speaking their minds like yourself or people like “Oxygen”, willing to speak out truthfully as well as whole heartedly as SINGAPOREANS.”
Without all those PATRIOTIC SINGAPOREANS (excluding me…and I humbly decline to take any credit) in cyberspace speaking out the ‘oxygen” of truth, it will be the “carbon dioxide” dominate by default of corrupt interests to destroy this country and in a global sense humanity in this world as well.
Patriots must love country beyond money and power – nothing less. Everywhere I see it is the poor supporting the rich and politically powerful in a new world order seeking to oppress the poor by all devious means of deception the mind can invent. Wall Street epitomise that greed and Arab Spring the humanity resisting when even doctors abandoned the professions in Libya to fight, kill and be ready to die on the cause of national liberation. UNTHINKABLE PRIOR.
You either have that patriotism or you don’t.
Another fake crisis and trying to create an over reaction.
How many opposition supporters will turn to vote PAP because of that one article?
Hitler spreading propaganda of nationalism and racial superiority of some imaginary race IS the true dangerous idea.
Most people outside of Germany can see that.
On the lighter side please check whether David Mason is a ‘Mamak’ cos a lot of mamaks have ang moh names like Derek da cunha, Tom Bencily, Michael Clements and Gary Fernandez, Derek Pereira the list can continue.
David Mason’s article claims that we are not respectful to our Elders. He fails to reveal how he arrived to this conclusion. If he belived alternative views wrong then it is better for him to be back in UK or better still to China or North Korea where alternate views are not tolerated.
Yes we the younger Singaporeans are ready to bring Singapore to greater heights. We want to ensure the present generation as well as their children to lead a comfortable and meaningful life.
David Mason is utterly wrong to say that Singapore is about economics. We Singaporeans have lives apart from this economy which David failed to realize. We cannot blame him because after all these years in Singapore (his reason to stay for the monies he can earn).
Now the issue of foreigners in Singapore is so hot that he is feeling the heat.
@oxygen… your observation of “the poor supporting the rich and politically powerful in a new world order seeking to oppress the poor by all devious means of deception the mind can invent” is definitely taking place.
That is why Singaporeans should be more united. Each and every Citizen must come forth to contribute positively. This GE, 40% had already stood out and who knows it’ll be 50% or even more in GE 2016.
There’s no credit, no PBM or BBM, to be awarded for being patriotic because it is the duty and responsibility of every single Citizen to be so. Simply by being in TOC giving your views is a positive contribution towards our Nation building which is what you and many others in here have done. I applaud and is encouraged by such patriotism. Thus, be it for or against the policies of ruling-PAP, this contribution of comments in TOC is an act of patriotism. Otherwise, why would so many waste their time and effort to come in here and contribute?
No one needs to die in Singapore in the name of liberation. We don’t need any heroes, just peace loving compatriots of our Nation to do their part. We’re all sensible enough to AVOID any use of violence to achieve true democracy. The path may be longer and more difficult but every bit done or every small step forward, is a progress. Perserverance will always bring success and time will be the actual test for this long journey towards true Justice and Equality for all Citizens of Singapore.
Dear All
A long, long time again, a sage from India, called Buddha, was besieged by people from a village called Kalama to advice them how to choose from various religious teachers, including Buddha teachings.
Buddha told them that they should think for themselves by providing them with ten principles to investigate, discern and discriminate any teachings and practice. These ten principles is now popularly known in Buddhism as the “Kalama Sutta” and reproduced herein, (I have added some examples, but not the principles as written) for your reading pleasure.
I have extracted this Sutta from a book entitled “Keys to Natural Truth”, by one of the most influential Thai monk and author, Buddhadasa Bhikkhu; which was translated by Dr. Supaphan Na Bangchang (Thai national) and Santikaro Bhikkhu (American national). The book first publication was in 1988 in Thai and in Thailand. The word “Bhikkhu” means a Buddhist monk and “Sutta” or “Sutra” means the Buddha Discourses.
KS (Kalama Sutta) can help a person to gain independent knowledge and reason with which to understand the meaning and truth of ideas and propositions heard even for the first time.
KS primary strength is teaching us to listen without letting our intelligence and wisdom become enslaved for it advises us to think, consider, investigate and decide with great subtlety and precision.
KS principles recommend that we do not accept and believe just because:
1. Something has been passed along and retold through the years. Such credulity is a characteristic of brainless people.
2. Some practice (or acts, ritual, reasoning) has become traditional.
3. Of some reports and news that is widespread through one place or anywhere else in the world, for such reports and news may be no better than rumours, hearsay or came about from inaccurate and non-validating information. Many a classic case come from the use of statistics that are often cited based on a person way of interpretation to fit with their point of view.
4. Something is cited from an inscribed or written document which were created, improved and changed by human hands. There is no need to blindly trust every letter and words in them, as words, letters and its meaning can be translated, twisted, distorted intentionally or unintentionally, with or without good intention, in accordance to the author agenda or limitations due to time factor and other circumstances. We should use our power to discriminate, to dissect, to investigate and to discover truths as they really are.
5. Something that fits with the reasoning of logic which is merely one branch of study undertaken to figure the truth of something. Such logic can go fitfully wrong if its data or their methods are incorrect.
6. Something is correct on the ground of philosophy (arrive at from deductive and inductive reasoning), which is merely a branch of thought which reasons on the basis of assumption or hypotheses and it can be incorrect if the reasoning or choice of assumption is inappropriate.
7. Something appeals to a person’s common sense, which is usually snap judgments based on a person’s tendencies of thought accumulated over a period of time, and it has become a habitual way of thinking.
8. Something that stands up to or agrees with our preconceived opinions and theories which is very comforting. But personal views can be wrong or our method of experiment and verification might be incorrect and that will lead one to an incorrect point of view. Accepting what fits with our theories and pre-conception may seem to be a scientific approach but is never actually so as its proof and experiments may not be sufficiently adequate.
9. The speaker appears to be a believable person for outside appearances and the actual knowledge inside a person is not necessarily identical. You have often seen speakers who appear credible on the outside but also say incorrect and foolish things. Nowadays, this is even truer when obtaining information from the internet, as the datum obtained may be incorrect or deliberately manipulated to serve the author’s agenda.
10. The speaker is our teacher (parent, school teacher, religious teacher, advisor, consultant, government minister, leaders and anyone who plays such a role). The key point here is do not become the intellectual slave of someone else just because the person is famous, well-known, popular, PhD holders, best educated in the best universities in the world, great CEO, well-respected Prime Ministers, Presidents, and leaders of opposition parties, leaders of Non-Government Organisations, experts of experts in their field of endeavours and knowledge. Do not believe immediately upon hearing such teachings, advice, counsel, opinion, guidance and views. Instead, check it up, weigh it, seek other opinions, look at alternatives, and so on and eventually you can come to your own conclusions, fully or partially, at your own time.
When one is listening, hearing and reading about anything that is of importance to you, one should give it careful attention and full scrutiny to examine whether such anything actually have results that resemble what is spoken about. You can see if such words match with the deeds done and accomplished are beneficial and holistic to all concerned.
These ten principles is not an attempt to disbelieve anything or never to listen to anyone. It is not. It is an approach that we can listen, hear or read something, and only incline to accept and believe in it after having seen the real meaning and the advantages that comes from it.
If you are hearing a statement that is new that is not known before or have never seen, then knowing these ten principles, you can attempt to understand what is it all about and to get to know about it better on your own time, and not have to immediately believe in it blindly or worse still be forced to believe out of fear, moral and immoral bribery, coercion and the like.
Nowadays, people have lost many of their freedoms in various things due to their environment they live because of trade-offs, some are OK, some are not so OK and some are definitely not OK.
But there is one freedom that we must deliberately choose to safeguard and that is never yield our intellectual freedom to be able to think things out for ourselves and as to what is best for our self and our family and for family of families.
If we lose or surrender our intellectual freedom, we become a slave to……… (You may want to fill in the blanks mentally and if you do, you are not a slave to anyone way of thinking).
Mr TPF
Non-FAQ – are you a Buddhist? Yes and No. Yes when I think from a Buddhist point of view, and No, when I think from a non-Buddhist viewpoint.
Cheerio.
David Mason seems like one who have indeed reside long in Singapore and probably quite well-off expatriate at price waterhouse. Being old, probably older than David Mason, my memory tends to fade here and there. But I believe it is the same Price Waterhouse company that did a study of HDB pricing that brought up the price of a completed HDB unit right after Mr. Chiam challenged the construction price of government HDB flat. This new construction price suppose to defeat Mr. Chiam contention that HDB units have been unnecessarily make more expensive to suit the government’s purpose. And price waterhouse was the neutral party that the government make use of, and willingly did so through appropriate financial modelling and analysis. I can be totally wrong and if so, my sincere and unreserved apologies.
One point that I agree wholeheartedly with David Mason thought is that discipline is an asset and more so for a country development. This is an observation equally applicable in almost any country, in any effort to achieve something. In the case of Singaporean, having been a Singaporean for more than 60 years and still is, I think younger Singaporean is over-discipline and need to break out from their mold. I know they can, for younger singaporean are some much brighter and smarter than me when I was as young as them.
I like to believe that our trust in young Singaporean is not misplaced if we truly open our eyes and see them as an energetic force that is creative and people of tremendous potential. Their fighting spirit is incredible despite many frequent taunts at their so-called lack of intellectual ability.
If we go back to early history, the British live and die by trade and among one of the ugly part of their trade enforcement and bully tactics resulted in the Opium War with China (Chinese people in that era, was no less arrogant about their might and power) resulting in Hong Kong being annexed by the British. The fact that they dont have enough silver to pay for the tea they get from China, they use the unauthorized sale of opium into China through, I think, Jardine Matheson and Dean Company, to prosper at China expense.
I think Singaporean have learnt their lesson well from the past of imperalism and it will do us well not to let it be repeated from foreign observers that may have good intention that is not necessarily helpful to young Singaporean.
Long rebuttal that does absolutely nothing to rebut the original article.
I don’t think we need this elite Ang Mo to teach us how we should run our country and interfere with Singapore politics.
The Worker Party should not follow the mindsight of Ang Mo best attitude.
Please wake up. We are Asians.